The maturity of tourism neworks: an exploratory study

Networks in tourism are a growing phenomenon worldwide and tourism. Literature has devoted considerable space to networks’ policies, governance forms, competitive advantages and activities. Literature that focuses on networks’ operations generally analyzes what kind of activities are put in place without examining how they are carried out and whether they generate a competitive advantage. To fill this gap, our paper provides a notion of network maturity and introduces a taxonomy of the maturity levels of a network’s operations. The three-stage maturity model contributes to tourism literature by exploring how networks can evolve from basic to more sophisticated operations. From a managerial perspective, the paper contributes to evaluating network effectiveness and defining paths to improve it

Development of a Tourism Destination: Exploring the Role of Destination Capabilities

This article aims to identify the key elements underlying a destination capability (DC) and to examine what the genesis of these factors is and how they interact to foster the destination development. The article explores a specific development process—the creation of a new product in an alpine destination (Livigno, Italy)—making use of a theoretical framework structured around four major dimensions: DCs, coordination at the destination level, inter-destination bridge ties, and destination development. The results help clarify the genesis of a DC in the context of new product development. First, the dynamics underlying the creation of a DC show that coordination at the destination level constitutes the heart of the process, whereas the integration of scattered resources in the new product plays a more limited role. Second, from a dynamic perspective, the analysis has identified three patterns (scouting, implementation, and involvement)

Gli "archivi-museo" dell'Associazione nazionale combattenti e reduci in Puglia

In this paper were exhibited the first results of the census that in 2016-2017 involved the archives of the Puglia sections of the National Association of Fighters and Veterans, a project promoted by ANAI Puglia on the occasion of the celebrations of the Centenary of the First World War. The work aims to reconstitute, even if only virtually, the original structure of the paper archives and the book, photographic, iconographic and war memorabilia of the ANCR and highlight the current role of associations as centers of documentation and memory retention

Sinkhole hazard assessment in Lesina Marina area (Apulia, Italy).

In “Lesina Marina” area, located in the north-western part of the Apulia region (Italy), near the Adriatic coast, sinkhole phenomena are particularly widespread and constitute a risk for the built-up area. These phenomena are due to the structure of the evaporitic rocks located in the study area and to the groundwater regime, influenced by the presence of a channel that connects the sea to the lagoon. The complex sea-channel-lagoon system produces an inland flow towards the channel modulated by the tide with a variable width according to the rules of the coastal aquifer

Stakeholder engagement in the design of scenarios of technology-enhanced tourism services

The rapid uptake of mobile and digital technologies has the potential to radically transform city-visiting experiences. This will result in a transition from technology that is owned and delivered by tourism organisations towards software developed by third party organisations that is owned and managed directly by tourists. Tourism providers in destinations must collaborate in service provision in order to develop integrated services to meet the needs of tourists and remain competitive. This paper argues that scenario-based design (SBD) offers a useful tool to generate innovative ideas for destination service development and to break down barriers to collaboration amongst tourism stakeholders. We report a study, which engaged city stakeholders in envisioning innovative, technology-based tourism services. We outline this process, discuss the value of SBD in multi-stakeholder service design, and make recommendations for future work in this area

Aggravated fragmentation: A case study of SME behaviour in two emerging heritage tourism regions

This paper investigates the behaviour of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) within the heritage tourism supply chain (HTSC), in two emerging heritage regions. SMEs are conceptualised as implementers, working within the constraints of government level tourism structures and the heritage tourism supply chain. The research employs a case study approach, focusing on two emerging regions in Northern Ireland. In-depth interviews were carried out with small business owners and community associations operating within the regions. The research identifies SME dissatisfaction with the supply chain and the processes in place for the delivery of the tourism product. To overcome the perceived inadequacies of the heritage tourism supply chain SMEs engage in entrepreneurial behaviour by attempting to deliver specific products and services to meet the need of tourists. The challenge for tourism organisations is how they can integrate the entrepreneurial, innovative activities of SMEs into the heritage tourism system

Testing an integrated destination image model across residents and tourists

Tourism research has yet to confirm whether an integrated destination image model is applicable in predicting the overall destination image and behavioral intentions of local residents. This study examines whether the cognitive, affective and overall image - hypothesized to be predictors of behavioral intentions - are applicable to residents and tourists in the resort city of Eilat. The proposed model allowed for the distinct effect of each image component on overall image and behavior to be closely examined. The findings support the applicability of the model to local residents and also showed that among tourists, the affective component exerted a greater influence than the cognitive on overall destination image and future behavior. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for research on destination image